Switch all of your light bulbs to LEDs
When the days get shorter we end up switching on our lights a lot earlier than we would in the summer, so it’s more important than ever to make sure your bulbs are as energy-efficient as possible. Our recommendation? Go with LEDs. You may have heard that CFLs were the way to go a few years back, but that is so 2007! LEDs are the future of low-energy lighting, and the future is finally here. High quality LED bulbs can now be found at many major retailers at reasonable costs. Not only are there LED bulbs now that consume 80 percent less energy and last 25 TIMES LONGER than incandescents, they’ve been much improved over LEDs of a few years ago, and are now designed to provide soft, warm ambient light, rather than the harsh bluish light that was common with LEDs a few years back. One more tip regarding LED bulbs – brace yourself and don’t go into sticker shock when you realize that LEDs bulbs cost about 10X as much as old-fashioned incandescent bulbs (Philip’s Ambient LED 75W bulb retails for $39.95). Keep in mind they last 25X longer, so that means that you won’t ever have to buy new lightbulbs, plus you’ll save a ton of money on your electricity bill. See, it all works out in the end!
Also worth checking out as we approach December? LED holiday lights!
Invest in a smart thermostat
Ask most people if they would like to pay to have their houses heated during the day when they weren’t even there, and you’d probably be met with a resounding “of course not!” But if you don’t have an old-fashioned thermostat, that’s probably exactly what’s happening in your home. With a smart thermostat, like the Ecobee, you can program your heating and cooling systems to only turn on when you need them to. Look out for a similar device, the Nest, from the makers of the iPod next month.
These are all great suggestions. The most important one is to get the home energy audit. This study will help you to determine the problem areas in your home so you can focus your improvements there. And depending on your location, these audits may be free through your utility who may also be able to provide you with information for incentives on any of the necessary upgrades.
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If you heat your home with electricity then buying LEDs is a waste of money.
LEDs may use 80% less energy, but what are those 80% converted to when using incandescent light bubs? How about heat?
So while you don’t decrease your energy consumption, you still pay a lot for those new shiny LED bulbs.
Remember we are talking about winter here.
Good advice and inspiration — but don’t forget another of the big ones: paint your house the right colours for energy conservation. A dark surface helps conserve heat while a light one reflects sunlight and helps keep the house cooler. Since it’s not practical to repaint or change your roofing every season, go with the one that makes the most difference in your climate.
What is the mechanism of keeping a room warm at night by closing the blinds? Isn’t most of the heat in the form or infrared radiation, which glass is opaque to?
We’re missing a link to the Home Depot shopping cart?
My savings bulbs have ben lasting 2-4 years before starting the annoying blinking thing. Plastic your windows. Use old fashioned timers. Dress warmer. If you rent.
If you own your home, seal your windows, triple glazing does wonders. They still make storm windows. Beef up your insulation and keep the heating on timers and use localized heaters.
I love the power strip idea! I have all these tools that could be off for over 12 hours a day. What a great way to save energy.
Rubbish Works -Seattle
What a great post. Since living in a small apartment I can concur, while cooking the apartment warms up very well. Otherwise, I dress in warm clothing.
The eco power strip and the LED bulb are two items which stand out the most for me. I’m looking to invest in the ecostrip to see the difference in my electrical bill. I have a lot of technology in my home lol. Although the LED bulb is expensive I wouldn’t mind taking time to build up an inventory on eco bulbs.
Great tips… this was very helpful! I definitely need to invest in one of those smart power strips. It can really save you a bundle if you unplug electronics that aren’t in use… but knowing me, I probably wouldn’t remember to do that everyday.
Great energy saving tips! Thanks!
All great tips! For all ConEd customers, I believe they offer free timers for those with central cooling and heating systems. Give them a call and find out! Time your heat/air to turn on an hour or so before you get home so you don’t have to keep it on all day!
Thanks for the tip Bridgette!
Great tips! I wear sweaters a lot to keep the thermostat down.
I’m all for saving money and energy, but it always seems so daunting! Great tips I can definitely make some upgrades and adjustments this winter!
More pumpkin spice muffins, super fuzzy socks & holiday sweaters, less firing up the furnace!
great tips to use for what’s sure to be a very cold winter. i’m especially a fan of the baking tip!
It’s great to see tips that even people renting apartments can use to cut their energy bill!
Totally agree with Dan, an energy audit will definitely keep you from covering up construction mistakes. For instance if you don’t air seal an attic before insulating then you might be wasting your time and money with insulation and heating.
I much prefer bundling up in sweaters and blankets than cranking up the heat. Winter is the season for snuggling, not sweating!
It’s so tempting to hang out in shorts with the heat on – thanks for reminding me it’s not worth it!
I will definitely be hanging out in the kitchen and baking as much as possible this winter!
This came just in time! I just turned my heat on and was dreading the coming bills! Thanks!
These tips definitely save a lot, some of them are even applicable with other seasons. LEDs are large savers. It may seem like a large investment at first, but it’s really an investment.
Juan Miguel Ruiz (Going Green)
http://www.GreenJoyment.com
the green fibre insulation is fairly cheap and you can usually get the blowing machine for free when you buy the insulation from the big box stores.